Romania's Ministry of Culture seeks the Government’s approval for leasing two spaces inside the National Library's building in Bucharest for a restaurant and a café. The ministry also has its headquarters there.

“We are initiating two Government decisions, and one of them is for getting the approval to lease a space inside the part of the building that belongs to the Ministry of Culture and turn it into a café, a place where the employees and other people can socialize,” the Romanian Minister of Culture Vlad Alexandrescu told local Mediafax.

The second Government decision focuses on sharing a space inside the building, which hasn’t divided between the Ministry of Culture and the National Library. The Ministry wants to give this space to the Library so it can arrange a restaurant for its readers and employees. This way, the people would have a place to eat during their breaks.

Moreover, the Ministry also wants to lease its cultural hall, which has some 300 seats.

Under the law, if the Government approved the rental of these premises, 50% of the winnings would go to the state budget, and 50% would remain to the Ministry, which could use this money to cover the building's maintenance costs.

After obtaining the Government’s OK, the Ministry of Culture will start seeking for private operators for the café and restaurant, through auctions.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Biblioteca Nationala Bucuresti on Facebook)